The present invention relates to the fields of engines and motor sports. More particularly, this invention relates to a device for controlling, usually restricting, the flow of air/fuel mixture drawn by an engine. Such a device can be used to equalize engine performance among racers to make the competition more heavily dependent on the drivers' skill.
There are many different kinds of motor sports, including, but not limited to, the racing of automobiles, boats, airplanes, motorcycles and snowmobiles. Success in a race depends on at least two elements: the equipment and the skill of the driver. Unfortunately, in many motor sports the necessary equipment has become extremely costly to purchase and maintain. Often, races are won by the racing team with the most financial resources, not necessarily the most skillful drivers. Various racing regulations and engine specifications have been implemented in an attempt to make races more fair to all participants. Some races set limits on the cubic inches of displacement for engines in a given race. However, most of these measures are easily circumvented by racing teams who have the human resources, time and money to modify their engines in ways that are not regulated. The end result is that the races are becoming less competitive and therefore less interesting for the spectators.
In response, some racing associations have implemented rules which allow anyone in the same lap as the fourth place racer to claim or buy the engine from any of the top four finishing racers for a nominal price. The claim price is purposely set low, usually less than one-half the true cost of the engine. This is intended to discourage racers from investing an inordinate amount of money on their engines to obtain a competitive advantage which less wealthy racers cannot match. However, claiming another racer's engine is generally not considered an endearing gesture and claims are rarely exercised. When claims are rarely exercised, racers feel safe in investing more money in their engines, the races again become less competitive, and some drivers and fans will lose interest. When claims are frequently exercised, the drivers who invest heavily in their engines may also get discouraged and quit. Claiming regulations must strike a fine balance to avoid hurting the sport at either end. Another problem with claiming is that some drivers "sandbag" or purposely slow down or brake to avoid finishing in positions where their engines can be claimed. Such unusual moves on the race track can lead to collisions. Clearly, claim racing has not been a cure-all.
It is also known to rigidly mount a fixed orifice restrictor plate between the carburetor and intake manifold of an engine. However, such plates are inflexible and fail to equalize performance among relatively high performance (expensive) engines and lower performance (less expensive) engines. Fixed orifice restrictors also choke off the engine at high rpms and slows acceleration. This penalizes smaller motors because the larger motors are still able to draw in more fuel without being choked off. Thus, the desired equalizing effect is not achieved.
A flexible means and method are needed for controlling engine performance in a way which is effective and cannot be easily circumvented. Ideally, a device is needed to make a last minute across-the-board engine modification that will result in engine performance parity among the racers and reduce the likelihood of cheating. If such a device were installed immediately before the race, even the teams with considerable financial and human resources would not have the time to make engine modifications to circumvent the effects of the device.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is a provision of a means and method for automatically adjusting fluid flow at the intake of an engine.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a device that will substantially equalize the engine performance of a group of the racers to make the race more competitive and dependent on the skill of the drivers.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a fluid flow restrictor device which is easily insertable between the carburetor and intake manifold of an engine.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a variable orifice shaped so as to minimize turbulence upstream of the orifice.
These and other objects will be apparent in the specification and claims which follow.